Show Dates and Film Titles

 

October 2 Tycoon

(Russia 2003) 128 minutes

A true story based on the life of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Four brilliant friends abandon their science studies in favor of the shady world of post-Soviet business. “Tycoon is as seductive and audacious as its protagonist, whose outrageous manipulations encapsulate the chaos and corruption of Russia's neophyte capitalist economy. ” (Jan Stuart, Newsday)

 

October 9 Up and Down

(Czechoslovakia 2004) 117 minutes

The discovery of an abandoned child by two smugglers kicks into gear a series of tragic, comic events. "[A] keen observation of the confused longing for love, family and stability in an inherently unstable world… keeps faith with the Czech genius for holding the tonal line between tragedy and the absurd." (Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly)

 

October 16 Red Lights

(France 2004) 106 minutes

A husband and wife in a fractured marriage find themselves under dangerous circumstances in this Hitchcockian thriller.   "Emotion and aesthetics get equal play in this adaptation of a novel by Georges Simenon, creating high-tension entertainment of the highest order." (Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger)

October 23 Notre Musique

(France 2004) 80 minutes

Divided into three "kingdoms" -- Enfer (Hell), Purgatoire (Purgatory), and Paradis (Paradise) –- Jean-Luc Godard's latest film is a timeless meditation on war as seen through the prisms of film, text and image. "Visually sublime and intellectually dense, this is one of the extremely rare movies that prove cinema can be as complex and profound as the very greatest art works in any form." (David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor)

 

October 30 Turtles Can Fly

(Iran 2004) 98 minutes

Near the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of an American invasion, refugee children await their fate. "[Acclaimed director Bhaman] Ghobadi magically transforms modern-day Kurdistan into a grotesque wonderland and the raw material of the bloody conflicts in Iraq into a fairy tale that is tragic, haunting and often oddly beautiful." (James Verniere, Boston Herald)

November 6 Born Into Brothels

(India 2004) 95 minutes

A western photographer befriends the marginalized children of Sonagachi , India in this Academy Award-winning documentary which explores the transformative power of art. "The specter of long odds and narrow choices shades every frame of the film, yet the tone is often buoyant and… inspirational." (Jessica Winter, Village Voice)

 

 

November 13 Chaos

(France 2003) 109 minutes

Equal parts dark comedy, social critique, and crime thriller, this fast-paced film centers on a middle-class Parisian woman who witnesses the brutal beating of a young prostitute. Despite her husband's insistence that she not get involved, the woman seeks the girl out and vows to help her get revenge on the gang that had been holding her captive as a sex slave. "A gripping feminist fable with a savage comic edge." (Stephen Holden, New York Times)

 

 

November 20 ABC Africa

(Iran 2002) 84 minutes

Renowned Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's documentary about Ugandan orphans stricken by Africa 's massive AIDS epidemic and the people who work tirelessly to improve the conditions of their country. "A gorgeous and surprisingly profound meditation on a place and its people." (Ann Hornaday , Washington Post)

 

 

November 27 Intermission

(UK 2004) 106 minutes

In this dramedy starring Cillian Murphy and Colin Farrell, a series of coincidences and haphazard relationships unite a small group of people living in Dublin . "This raucously funny and compellingly gritty ensemble piece comes complete with plenty of snap, crackle and Irish pop." (Jamie Russell, BBC)

 

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